A set of 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acids bearing different substituents on the condensed benzene ring was designed and synthesized as potential HIV-1 integrase inhibitors structurally related to elvitegravir. Some of the new compounds proved to be able to inhibit the strand transfer step of the virus integration process in the micromolar range. Docking studies and quantum mechanics calculations were used to rationalize these data.

The formation of an atypical, saturated, diarylated, Heck/Suzuki, domino product produced under oxidative Heck reaction conditions, employing arylboronic acids and a chelating vinyl ether, has been investigated by DFT calculations. The calculations highlight the crucial role of 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) in the reaction. In addition to its role as an oxidant of palladium, which is necessary to complete the catalytic cycle, this electron-deficient alkene opens up a low-energy reaction pathway from the post-insertion σ-alkyl complex. The association of BQ lowers the free-energy barrier for transmetallation of the σ-alkyl complex to create a pathway that is energetically lower than the oxidative Heck reaction pathway. Furthermore, the calculations showed that the reaction is made viable by BQ-mediated reductive elimination and leads to the saturated diarylated product.

A mild and novel palladium(II)-catalyzed domino Heck/Suzuki alpha,beta-diarylation-reduction of a dimethylaminoethyl substituted chelating vinyl ether was developed by using electron-rich arylboronic acids in combination with p-benzoquinone. Based on the preparative results, a catalytic cycle is proposed. Further, highly regioselective palladium(II)-catalyzed alpha- or beta-monoarylation of the chelating vinyl ether was achieved using either a bidentate ligand or by employing ligand-less conditions.